The Director and The Wax Child longlisted for International Booker Prize 2026

Daniel Kehlmann's THE DIRECTOR, translated by Ross Benjamin, and Olga Ravn's THE WAX CHILD, translated from Danish by Martin Aitken, have been longlisted for the 2026 International Booker Prize. 

THE DIRECTOR is a visionary tale inspired by the life of the 20th century film director G.W. Pabst, who left Europe for Hollywood to resist the Nazis and then returned to his homeland with his wife and young son and began making films for the German Reich. This novel shows what literature is capable of.

THE WAX CHILD is an extraordinary new novel from Olga Ravn, one of the most acclaimed and original writers at work today. Based on an infamous seventeenth century Danish witch trial, this is a mesmerising, frightening vision of a time when witches and magic were as real to the human mind as soil and seawater.

The International Booker, which is awarded annually, celebrates the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland. The longlist was chosen by a 2026 judging panel chaired by Natasha Brown, Marcus du Sautoy, Sophie Hughes, Troy Onyango and Nilanjana S Roy. The selection was chosen from 128 books submitted by publishers.

Brown said: “Whether it’s for a birthday, a book club or the bus ride to work, I’m confident that there’s a perfect fit among these 13 brilliant books. Many of the submitted books examined the devastating consequences of war, which is reflected in our longlist. The list also features petty squabbles between neighbours, mysterious mountain villages, Big Pharma conspiracies, witchy women, ill-fated lovers, a haunted prison and obscure film references. The page counts range from ‘pocket-friendly’ to ‘doorstopper.’ And while the books’ original publication dates span four decades, each story feels fresh and innovative. The calibre and variety of translated fiction being published in the UK is unbelievable. As judges, we’ve been spoiled for choice during these past eight months reading this year’s 128 submissions. Our discussions are always lively, and we’ve often been surprised by the myriad ways these books engaged us. It is my absolute pleasure to share this sparkling selection of our favourites.”